KR102625381B1 - Motor vehicle lighting module configured to project a light beam forming a pixelized image - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lighting module for an automobile configured to project a light beam forming a pixelated image. The illumination module includes a light source 102 and a device 200 for processing the light emitted by the light source 102, wherein the light beam emitted by the light source 102 is formed in a manner that forms a pixelated image. It includes a matrix 201 of active elements 202 configured to process at least some of them.
The light source 102 includes a matrix of emitting elements 134, of which two or more emitting elements can be selectively activated, and the matrix of emitting elements 134 and the matrix of activating elements 202 are each The active elements 202 are offset relative to each other in such a way that they are positioned over a portion of the light beam emitted by the emitting element 134 .

Description

Automotive lighting module configured to project a light beam forming a pixelated image {MOTOR VEHICLE LIGHTING MODULE CONFIGURED TO PROJECT A LIGHT BEAM FORMING A PIXELIZED IMAGE}

The technical field of the present invention is the automotive lighting field. More specifically, the present invention relates to a lighting module configured to project a pixelated image and its coupling to an automobile headlight.

Motor vehicles are equipped with headlights or headlamp-type projection devices that are designed to illuminate the entire road in front of the vehicle with a beam of light at night or under low light conditions. These headlights, the left headlight and the right headlight, each include one or more lighting modules configured to generate and direct partial light beams to form the overall light beam.

In addition to the statutory lighting functions that are essential for the safety of all road users, car manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers also provide devices that facilitate driving, in particular devices that display information related to the vehicle's status, detection of emergency situations or presentation of navigation information. promote what is being proposed. For example, lighting modules have been developed to project information onto a road scene so that drivers do not have to look away from the road scene to see the information. More precisely, these lighting modules are configured to project to the front of the vehicle in the direction of its forward movement, in the case of information to be viewed by the occupants of the vehicle, or to the rear of the vehicle, in the case of information to be viewed by the occupants of the vehicle following. It is composed. The information you will see will be in the form of easily understandable pictograms, for example, an arrow if the vehicle's satellite navigation device has detected the next turn, or an exclamation point if the emergency involves a sudden stop of the vehicle. It is projected onto the road in the form of a pixelated image.

Figure 1 shows one embodiment of an illumination module 1 of the digital micromirror device (DMD) type configured to project a light beam forming a pixelated image. For this purpose, this lighting module comprises a light source 2 which emits a light beam 3 in the direction of a reflector 4 configured to deflect the rays of the beam towards the matrix 5 of micromirrors. The light source is disposed in the vicinity of the image focus of the reflector, and the micromirror matrix is disposed in the vicinity of the image focus of the reflector, so that the light rays reflected by the reflective inner surface of the reflector are concentrated on the micromirror matrix 5 and are reflected by all micromirrors. illuminates The micromirror matrix includes mirrors that can rotate independently of each other. As a non-limiting example, the micromirror matrix 5 is formed of 500 to 800 mirrors on each side, and each mirror may have a size of about 7 to 10 micrometers. More precisely, each micromirror has an axis between an active position where the micromirror reflects the incident light beam in the direction of the projection optical system and an inactive position where the micromirror reflects the incident light beam in the direction of a luminescent radiation absorber element, not shown in Figure 1. It is mounted to pivot around the center. When reflected by at least part of the micromirror, the light beam passes through the diopter 6 of the illumination module 1 to project the light beam.

This illumination module 1 is capable of providing at the exit of the diopter 6 a high-resolution pixelated and digitized light beam 7 forming all or part of a pixelated image intended to be projected onto a road scene. Each pixel or pixelated ray that makes up this light beam 7 corresponds to a portion of the original beam 3 that is deflected by a micromirror, and then the control module 8 is used to control each micromirror to control these micromirrors. It is possible to activate or deactivate micropixels. This specific feature makes it possible to design the light beam 7 of any required shape at the exit of the diopter 6 depending on the requirements for marking on the road, especially in the projection area in front of the vehicle. It makes it possible to display pictograms. Therefore, a lighting module of the DMD type as described above enables the projection of pixelated images on the road.

The resolution of the pixelated image depends on the number of controllable micromirrors. The mechanisms used to pivot the micromirrors are sensitive to vibration and temperature changes, and the use of a moveable micromirror matrix becomes increasingly fragile as the number of micromirrors increases relative to the size of the matrix, and the size itself depends on the cost of the components. limited by Therefore, it is currently difficult to use very high-resolution DMD-type devices in automobile headlights due to the high risk of damage to the micromirror turning mechanism.

The present invention falls within this context and provides automotive lighting that enables the projection of pixelated images with a reduced number of active elements of the above-described micromirror type in order to reduce unit costs and/or limit the risk of malfunctions. The purpose is to propose a module.

To this end, the present invention proposes a lighting module for an automobile configured to project a light beam forming a pixelated image. This lighting module includes a light source and a device for processing the light emitted by the light source. More precisely, the processing device comprises a matrix of active elements configured to process at least a portion of the light beam emitted by the light source in a manner to form a pixelated image. “Active element” means a surface adapted to at least partially transmit light shining in the direction of a required scene, for example a road scene, when the active element is activated.

The present invention provides a light source comprising a matrix of emitting elements, at least two of which can be selectively activated, wherein the matrix of emitting elements and the matrix of active elements are such that each active element is emitted by the emitting element. They are characterized by being offset with respect to each other in such a way that they are disposed over a portion of the light beam.

“Over a portion of the light beam” means that each active element is positioned over only a portion of the beam emitted by the emitting element. That is, each active element is affected only by that portion of the beam emitted by the emitting element to reflect or refract the light rays. The remainder of the rays forming this light beam emitted by the emitting element are directed out of the active element matrix or onto other active elements of the matrix. Accordingly, when an active element is activated and illuminated by a single emitting element, this active element transmits a part of the light beam emitted by said emitting element. The transmitted light beam is projected onto the required scene to form a pixel. Obviously the light beam from the emitting element illuminates only part of the surface of the active element. Therefore, it is necessary to activate two or more emitting elements in order to irradiate the entire surface of the active elements. For this reason, when the same active element is activated and illuminated by a plurality of emitting elements, the active element transmits a plurality of portions of the light beam emitted by the emitting elements. The transmitted light beam then forms a plurality of pixels of a pixelated image. Therefore, it is clear that it is possible to form two or more pixels of a pixelated image by activating only one active element. For this reason, due to the invention, activation of a single active element allows more than one pixel to be formed by activating more than one emitting element, each emitting element partially illuminating the active element. Therefore, compared to conventional devices as described above, for the same image resolution, the invention advantageously makes it possible to use fewer micromirrors, which makes it possible to provide a smaller processing device, and thus This makes it possible to use cheaper or larger micromirrors, which makes it possible to increase the reliability of these active elements.

In other words, within each matrix the elements constituting this matrix are offset at the point where they are separated by a dividing line, and the matrix of the active elements of the processing device and the emitting elements of the light source projected onto the matrix of the active elements of the processing device Given the image of the matrix, it is clear that the dividing lines do not overlap.

According to one feature of the invention, each emitting element can be configured to irradiate two or more adjacent active elements. Each emitting element is preferably configured to irradiate four or more adjacent active elements. Incidentally, each active element is configured to be irradiated by four or more emitting elements. Obviously, increasing the number of emitting elements to illuminate the entirety of the active element increases the number of pixels that the active element can form in the image. In other words, for an image with the same resolution, the number of active elements to form the image is reduced.

According to another feature of the invention, the surface area of the matrix of the emitting element may be larger than the surface area of the matrix of the active element. This ensures that the surface of each active element defining the edges of the matrix is entirely irradiated by the plurality of emitting elements.

According to another feature, the surface area of the one or more emitting elements may be equivalent to the surface area of the one or more active elements. The surface area of the emitting element and the surface area of the active element are preferably the same to facilitate optical alignment between the matrix of the emitting element and the matrix of the active element, and there is a certain offset between the emitting element and the active element.

Obviously, in the previous two features, a surface area comparison can be performed between the projected surface area of the one or more emitting elements onto the matrix of active elements and the surface area of the one or more active elements when the emitting elements are projected at a certain magnification. . Because of this, the size of the light source can be minimized.

According to another feature, the surface area of projection of the light beam emitted by the emitting element onto the processing device may be equivalent to the surface area of the one or more active elements.

According to another feature, the lighting module may comprise first projection optics arranged to face the matrix of active elements in such a way as to project a pixelated image to the exterior of the device. Projection optics include one or more optical elements, such as one or more lenses, one or more reflectors, one or more light guides, or combinations thereof. Each of the above-described optical elements may have various shapes.

According to another feature, the one or more active elements can reflect a portion of the light beam emitted by the emitting element. According to a preferred embodiment, the matrix of the active element may comprise a plurality of rotatable micromirrors of DMD type. In this case, the projection optics and the light source can be placed on the same side of the processing device.

According to another feature, the one or more active elements may be configured to deflect a portion of the light beam emitted by the emitting element. One or more active elements may take the form of liquid crystals. In particular, the matrix of active elements can form an LCD type screen. In this case, the projection optics and the light source can each be placed on opposite sides of the processing device. According to an alternative embodiment, the light source may be adjacent to the processing device.

According to another feature, the lighting module comprises second projection optics arranged between the light source and the processing device in such a way as to project at least a portion of the light emitted by the light source onto the matrix of active elements. Projection optics include one or more optical elements, such as one or more lenses, one or more reflectors, one or more light guides, or combinations thereof. Each of the above-described optical elements may have various shapes.

According to another feature, the lighting module may comprise a control module configured to simultaneously control the lighting and/or extinguishing of the emitting elements and the configuration of the active elements of the processing device. “Control the configuration of the active elements” means the possibility of the control module to pivot one or more movable micromirrors, if the matrix of the active elements is of the DMD type, or if the matrix of the active elements is a screen of the LCD type. , refers to the possibility of modifying the transmittance of one or more liquid crystal cells.

According to another feature, each emitting element may comprise one or more submillimeter sized electroluminescent rods for emitting a light beam. Therefore, in the automotive field, a technology is applied to create a three-dimensional topology by manufacturing electroluminescent components using a plurality of electroluminescent rods grown on a substrate. Clearly, the three-dimensional topology has the advantage of increasing the light-emitting surface area compared to previously known light-emitting diodes in the automotive field, substantially planar diodes. As a result, it is possible to manufacture very bright lights at lower unit costs.

The fact that the emitting elements, in particular the electroluminescent rods in this case, can be selectively activated so that two or more emitting elements of the light source can be arranged to be selectively illuminated, and a module is provided for controlling the illumination separate from these emitting elements. The fact that the emitting elements can be individually turned on or off simultaneously or non-simultaneously makes it possible to generate pixelated light that can be expressed according to the pixelated image to be projected.

The electroluminescent rod may protrude from the substrate and, in particular, may be formed directly on the substrate. The substrate may be based on silicon or silicon carbide. Obviously, a substrate is based on silicon if it contains predominantly silicon, for example more than 50%, in fact about 99%.

According to a set of features specific to the structure of the electroluminescent rods and the arrangement of these electroluminescent rods in the substrate, considered separately or in combination with others,

- each rod has a cylindrical general shape, in particular a polygonal cross-section; Each rod may have the same general shape, in particular a hexagonal shape;

- each of the rods is formed by a circumferential wall extending along the longitudinal axis of the rod defining the end face and height, the light being emitted from at least the circumferential wall, the light being emitted equally by the end walls. can be;

- each rod may have an end face substantially perpendicular to the circumferential wall, which in various variants may be substantially planar, convex or pointed at its center;

- The rods are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix with constant spacing between two consecutive rods of a given arrangement or with the rods arranged quincunx;

- the height of the rod is 1 to 10 micrometers;

- the maximum dimension of the distal face is less than 2 micrometers;

- The distance separating two adjacent rods is a minimum of 2 micrometers and a maximum of 100 micrometers.

According to another feature, a semiconductor light source comprising a plurality of submillimeter-sized electroluminescent rods may further comprise a layer of polymer material forming an encapsulation in which the rods are at least partially embedded, this type of enclosure being It is deposited on the substrate and covers the rod, and the enclosure advantageously extends to cover the rod at least at its full height. The polymer material may be based on silicone, and a polymer material is understood to be based primarily on silicone if it comprises primarily silicone, for example more than 50%, in fact about 99%. The layer of polymer material may include a luminophore or a plurality of luminophores that are excited by light generated by one or more of the plurality of rods. A luminophore, or light converter, is designed to absorb at least a portion of the excitation light emitted by a light source and to convert at least a portion of the absorbed excitation light into emitted light having a wavelength different from the wavelength of the excitation light. means the presence of one or more electroluminescent materials. This luminophore or plurality of luminophores may be at least partially embedded in the polymer or disposed on the surface of the layer of polymer material.

Alternatively, according to another feature, each emitting element may comprise one or more submillimeter sized electroluminescent studs for emitting a light beam. These studs are formed by epitaxial growth of, for example, silicon carbide, in particular a first layer of n-doped GaN and a second layer of p-doped GaN, to form a plurality of pixels entirely created from the same substrate. is cut (by grinding and/or polishing) to The result of this type of design is a plurality of electroluminescent blocks produced from the same substrate and electrically connected to selectively activate one another. A single substrate may have a thickness of 100 to 800 μm, especially 200 μm, and each block may have a width and length respectively of 50 μm to 500 μm, preferably 100 μm to 200 μm. In one variation, the length and width are the same. The height of each block is less than 500 μm, preferably less than 300 μm. Finally, the light exit side of each block may be on the substrate on the opposite side of the epitaxial growth. The separation distance between two adjacent pixels may be less than 1 mm, especially less than 500 μm, preferably less than 100 μm, more preferably less than 20 μm.

The fact that the emitting elements, in particular the electroluminescent studs in this case, can be selectively activated so that two or more emitting elements of the light source can be emitted to be selectively illuminated, and that an illumination control module distinct from these emitting elements is provided so that each The fact that it is possible to turn on or off the emitting elements individually and simultaneously or non-simultaneously makes it possible to generate pixelated light that can be produced depending on the pixelated image to be projected.

The invention also relates to an automotive lighting device comprising one or more of the lighting modules described above. This lighting device may consist of headlights, taillights, or interior lighting systems. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising a headlight of this type.

Of course, features, variations, and various embodiments of the present invention may be related to each other in various combinations if not incompatible or mutually exclusive.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the description and drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram of an illumination module configured to project a pixelated image;
Figure 2 is a side view of a lighting module according to the invention, showing a semiconductor light source facing a device for processing the light emitted by the light source;
Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the semiconductor light source of Figure 2, comprising a plurality of electroluminescent rods projecting above a substrate, wherein a cross-section of a series of electroluminescent rods is visible;
Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an arrangement of electroluminescent rods on a light source according to the invention, with two regions of electroluminescent rods that can be selectively activated;
Figure 5 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a semiconductor light source according to one particular embodiment of the present invention, with two electroluminescent rods protruding from a substrate, the electroluminescent rods being enclosed in a protective layer;
Figure 6 is a front view of a matrix of emitting elements, each emitting element comprising one or more electroluminescent rods of light sources as shown in Figures 3-5;
Figure 7 is a front view showing a superimposition of a projected image of the matrix of the emitting elements of Figure 6 with the matrix of active elements of the light processing device used in the lighting module shown in Figure 1;
Figure 7a is a front view of a deactivated active element of a matrix of active elements positioned in front of an image of four elements of an activated emitting matrix;
Figure 7b is a front view of an activated active element of a matrix of active elements positioned in front of an image of four elements of the activated emitting matrix;
Figure 7c is a front view of an image of three elements of an activated emitting matrix and an activated active element of a matrix of active elements positioned in front of an image of an element of a deactivated emitting matrix;
Figure 7d is a front view of an activated element of a matrix of active elements positioned in front of an image of two elements of an activated emitting matrix and an image of an element of a deactivated emitting matrix;
Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a lighting module according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 shows a superposition of a projected image of a matrix of active elements of a light processing device used in the lighting module shown in FIG. 8 and a matrix of emitting elements of a light source used in the lighting module of FIG. 8 .

It should be remembered that the present invention proposes a lighting module for an automobile configured to project a light beam forming a pixelated image on a road scene. The lighting module 10 described below includes a control module 101, a light source 102 controlled by the control module, and a device for processing the light emitted by the light source and controlled by the control module 101 ( 200).

As shown in FIG. 2 , the lighting module 10 is accommodated within a lighting device (here a headlight) formed by a housing 103 closed by an external lens 104 . According to this embodiment, the lighting module 10 includes first optics 106 for shaping at least a portion of the light rays emitted by the light source 102 . The first optics 106 are configured to change the direction of at least a portion of the light rays emitted by the light source 102 .

The light source 102 is a conventional emitting element and in particular an electroluminescent rod of submillimeter size, i.e. a conventional electroluminescent rod substantially similar to a planar source due to its thickness of the order of several nanometers, while the source with the electroluminescent rod has a height of at least 1 micrometer. A semiconductor source that includes a three-dimensional semiconductor source described below in contrast to a two-dimensional source.

As shown in Figure 3, light source 102 includes a plurality of submillimeter sized electroluminescent rods 108, hereinafter referred to as electroluminescent rods 108. These electroluminescent rods 108 originate from the same substrate 110. Here each electroluminescent rod formed using gallium nitride (GaN) protrudes vertically or substantially vertically from a silicon-based substrate, although other materials such as silicon carbide may also be used without departing from the context of the present invention. there is. For example, the electroluminescent rod may be made of an alloy of aluminum nitride and gallium nitride (AlGaN), or an alloy of aluminum, indium and gallium (AlInGaN).

The substrate 110 has a lower surface 112 on which the first electrode 114 is mounted, an upper surface 116 on which the electroluminescent rod 108 extends, and a second electrode 118. In particular, after growth (here upward growth) of the electroluminescent rods on the substrate, layers of various materials are superimposed on this top surface 116. Among these various layers, one or more layers of electrically conductive material can be found to enable powering the load. This layer is etched in such a way as to connect some of the rods together, and lighting of these rods can be simultaneously commanded by a control module not shown here. Two or more electroluminescent rods or groups of two or more electroluminescent rods of a semiconductor light source can be arranged to be reliably illuminated using a lighting control system.

Submillimeter sized electroluminescent rods extend from the substrate, each comprising a gallium nitride core 119, as can be seen in Figure 3, around which a different material (here gallium nitride and gallium-indium nitride) is formed. ) A quantum well 120 formed by radial overlap of layers and a shell 121 surrounding the quantum well are disposed.

Each rod extends along a longitudinal axis 122 that defines its height, and the base 123 of each rod is disposed in a plane 124 of the top surface 116 of the substrate 110.

It is advantageous for the electroluminescent rods 108 of the semiconductor light source to have the same shape. Each of these rods is formed by a distal face 126 and a circumferential face 128 extending along a longitudinal axis. It is understood that when the electroluminescent rod is doped and polarized, the light obtained from the exit surface of the semiconductor source is mainly emitted from the circumferential wall 128, and at least a small amount of light may be emitted from the end face 126. . As a result, each rod acts like a single light-emitting diode, and the density of electroluminescent rods 108 increases the light production of this semiconductor source.

The circumferential walls 128 of the rods 108 corresponding to the gallium nitride shell are covered by a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layer 129 that forms the anode of each rod complementary to the cathode formed by the substrate. This circumferential wall 128 extends along the longitudinal axis 122 from the substrate 110 to the distal face 126, from which the upper surface of the substrate (108) is formed. 116) defines the height of each rod. By way of example, the height of the electroluminescent rod 108 is between 1 and 10 micrometers, and the largest transverse dimension of the distal face perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 122 of the electroluminescent rod under consideration is less than 2 micrometers. The surface area of the rod in a cross-section perpendicular to this longitudinal axis 122 can be defined within a range of specific values, in particular within the range of 1.96 to 4 square micrometers.

During the formation of the rod 108, assuming that the brightness increases with increasing the height of the rod, it is possible to change the height from one part of the same light source to another in such a way as to increase the brightness of that part of the semiconductor light source. Obvious.

The shape of the electroluminescent rod 108 may also vary from one part of the same light source to another, particularly with respect to the shape of the cross-section and/or end face 126 of the rod. Figure 3 shows an electroluminescent rod having a generally cylindrical shape, in particular a polygonal cross-section, here in particular a hexagonal cross-section. It is clearly important that the light can be emitted through a circumferential wall, for example polygonal or circular.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 3, the distal surface 126 may have a substantially planar shape perpendicular to the circumferential wall and thus extend substantially parallel to the top surface 116 of the substrate 110, or Alternatively, as shown in Figure 5, it may have a convex or pointed shape at its center in a way that increases the emission direction of light emitted from this end face.

3 and 4, the electroluminescent rods 108 are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, with the rods arranged in rows and columns perpendicular to each other. In this arrangement the electroluminescent rods 108 may be arranged in quincense. The invention particularly encompasses different distributions of rods where the rod density may vary in different parts of the same light source. Figure 4 schematically shows the separation distance d1 of two adjacent electroluminescent rods in the first transverse direction and the separation distance d2 of two adjacent electroluminescent rods in the second transverse direction. The separation distance d1 and d2 is measured between the two longitudinal axes 122 of adjacent electroluminescent rods. As mentioned above, the number of electroluminescent rods 108 protruding from the substrate 110 may vary from one part of the light source to another, particularly to increase the luminous density of that portion of the light source, but each electroluminescent rod It is recognized that one or the other of the separation distances d1 and d2 should be at least 2 micrometers so that the light emitted by the circumferential wall 128 of 108 can be emitted from the matrix of the rod. Additionally, these separation distances do not exceed 100 micrometers.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the light source may further include a layer 130 of polymer material forming an enclosure that at least partially embeds the electroluminescent rod 108 . Accordingly, this layer 130 may extend over the entire extent of the substrate or only around certain groups of electroluminescent rods 108 . Polymer materials, which in particular may be based on silicon, make it possible to protect the electroluminescent rod 108 without hindering the diffusion of light rays.

The light source initially includes a coating 132 of a light-reflecting material disposed between the electroluminescent rods 108 to deflect the light rays directed toward the substrate toward the distal face 126 of the electroluminescent rods 108. More may be included. In other words, the upper surface 116 of the substrate 110 may include reflection means that redirects the light rays initially oriented toward the upper surface 116 toward the light exit surface of the light source. This recovers light rays that might otherwise be lost. This coating (132) is disposed between the electroluminescent rods (108) on the transparent conductive oxide layer (129).

As described above, the light source 102 is controlled by the control module 101. This control module includes a calculation unit and a storage unit not shown in the drawing. The storage unit is configured to store at least a program for controlling the light source 102 and a program for controlling the light processing device 200. The computing unit is configured to execute these programs simultaneously in a manner that correlates the operations of the light source 102 and the light processing device 200.

For this purpose, the control module 101 is configured to selectively activate the emitting element 134 of the light source 102, wherein the emitting element 134 is a single electroluminescent rod or, as shown in Figure 4, electrically. It may consist of interconnected light emitting rods. In the latter case, activation of the emitting element 134 is a simultaneous activation of all loads 108 present in the area defined by the dividing line 137 by a single command from the control module 101. 4 shows the separation distance d3 in the first transverse direction between the rod of the first emitting element 134 and the adjacent rod of the second emitting element. This separation distance d3, measured between the two longitudinal axes of the electroluminescent rods, allows the light emitted by the circumferential wall 128 of each rod 108 to be emitted from the matrix of the electroluminescent rods. The aim is to have a separation distance (d3) between two rods in two different areas that is substantially equal to the separation distance (d1 or d2) of two rods in the same area of the tube. This is acknowledged. Each emitting element 134 divided in this way is configured to emit a directional light beam. When the or respective rod 108 corresponding to the emitting element is turned off, a dark area appears on the emitting surface of the light source 102.

The light source 102 may take a number of forms without departing from the context of the present invention as long as it features a plurality of emitting elements 134 that can be activated selectively and independently of each other by the control module 101. According to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , the light source 102 has a plurality of identical emitting elements separated by dividing lines 137 arranged in rows and columns in such a way as to form a homogeneous matrix 140 of emitting elements 134. Elements 134, i.e., have a substantially square shape containing an equal number of rods.

The light source is disposed within the lighting module 10 in such a way as to irradiate the light processing device 200 . According to this embodiment, the light processing device 200 is of the LCD (liquid crystal display) type configured to transmit a light beam forming a pixelated image. To this end, as shown in Figure 7, the light processing device 200 comprises a matrix 201 of active elements 202, each active element corresponding to a block of liquid crystal forming an active zone. Each active element 202 has an active position capable of transmitting light emitted by the light source 102 in the direction of the first optical device 106 for forming and an active position capable of blocking the light emitted by the light source 102. It is configured to assume an inert position. Each active element 202 can be activated or deactivated independently from the others by the control module 101.

According to the invention, the light source 102 and the light processing device 200 are configured such that only a portion of the light rays emitted by the emitting elements encounter the active elements and, where appropriate, only a portion of the light emitted by each emitting element 134. The respective emitting element matrix and the active element matrix are arranged so as to be offset relative to each other within the illumination module 10 such that the light rays participate in illuminating a plurality of active elements 202 (here four of them). More precisely, the light source 102 is positioned facing the matrix 201 such that each emitting element 134 projects a light beam that illuminates only a portion of the four adjacent active elements 202 . Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7, the emitting elements 134 located at the rear of the matrix 201 and indicated by a dotted line are positioned at the rear of the matrix 201, where the image projected by each emitting element is defined by the dividing line 220. It is arranged and configured to survey an area 210 of. Each zone 210 overlaps at least a portion of the active element 202 defined by a dividing line 220 indicated by a solid line. For example, the active element 202 shown in FIG. 7 is divided into four zones 210A, 210B, 210C, and 210D, each zone receiving a portion of the light beam emitted by a distinct emitting element, as described below. Corresponds to a portion of the projected surface area. In other words, as shown in Figure 7, the matrix of emitting elements 134 and the matrix of active elements 202 are such that the projection of the dividing line 137 of the active elements 134 on the matrix 200 of the active elements is are arranged face-to-face so as not to overlap on the dividing line 220 of the active elements 202 constituting the .

According to this embodiment, zone 210 is of the same shape and has the same dimensions as active element 201. Of course, this may be different in other embodiments of the invention.

7a to 7d next show an embodiment of the operation of the lighting module 10 according to the invention, more precisely of the active element 202 illuminated by four adjacent emitting elements. To facilitate understanding of the invention, only one active element 202 is shown, which is disposed in front of the projected image of the four emitting elements 134A to 134D. Of course, the active elements are theoretically surrounded by other active elements to form the matrix 201 of active elements shown in Figure 7.

When the control module 101 activates four adjacent emitting elements 134A through 134D, each of them illuminates each of the four distinct zones 210A through 210D of the same activating element 202.

In FIGS. 7A to 7D, light is indicated as a shaded area. If the control module deactivates these active elements 202 , the light emitted by these emitting elements is not transmitted by the active elements 202 to the first shaping optics 106 . In other words, as shown in Figure 7A, an active element 202 that intersects a portion of the image projected by each of the four emitting elements obscures a portion of the light from each of these four emitting elements. For this reason, the image projected by the illumination module 10 includes dark regions corresponding to the active elements 202 . Conversely, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the control module activates the activation element 202, a portion of the light beam emitted by the emitting elements 134A through 134D is transmitted by the illumination module 10. Then the dark area mentioned above becomes bright. Control module 101 now deactivates emitting element 134A, as shown in FIG. 7C. Area 210A of active element 202 is therefore no longer illuminated, but is reflected with the appearance in the light area of black marks corresponding to pixels of the pixelated image. This dark area can be expanded longitudinally and transversely by the control module 101 by deactivating the emitting element 134B or 134C, so that the area 210B or 210C of the active element 202 is also no longer irradiated. It won't happen. According to an alternative example shown in FIG. 7D, the control module controls the active element 202 in a manner that forms a pixelated image comprising four distinct pixels, two of which are bright and two of which are dark. By irradiating only the zones 210A and 210D, only the emitting elements 134A and 134D can be activated.

Thus, from the above embodiment, the present invention allows module 101 to selectively and independently modify four pixels of a pixelated image without the need to activate the active element 202. For this reason, thanks to the invention, the formation of a pixel in a pixelated image no longer requires activation of a specific corresponding active element 202. In fact, activating only one active element 202 can form more than one pixel by activating one or more emitting elements 134 that illuminate the active element 202 . Therefore, compared to the prior art devices described above, for the same image resolution, the present invention can advantageously use a smaller number of active elements 202, which, as mentioned above, makes it possible to use less expensive devices and/or these active elements. It is possible to obtain a device with a reduced risk of failure.

2 shows a processing device 200 disposed at a distance from a light source and configured to pass light rays emitted by the light source. According to a variant embodiment not shown, the light source 102 can be adjacent to the matrix of active elements in order to reduce the overall size of the door module 5 .

A second embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to Figure 8, wherein the light processing device 300 is of the DMD (digital mirror device) type configured to project a light beam forming a pixelated image, and thus according to the first embodiment It differs from the processing device of the first embodiment in that it has a characteristic of reflecting light toward the first optical device 106 for forming instead of a refractive characteristic of . In fact, according to this second embodiment, the light source is positioned relative to the light processing device on the same side as the first optics 106, whereas in the first embodiment the light source and the first shaping optics 106 are are disposed on each opposite side of the light processing device.

In this second embodiment, the light processing device 300 includes a matrix 301 of active elements 302, each active element corresponding to a movable micromirror. Each micromirror has an active position where the micromirror reflects light emitted by the light source 102 in the direction of the first optics 106 for shaping, and the micromirror has an active position where the micromirror reflects light emitted by the light source 102 in the direction of the first optical device 106 for shaping. It is mounted to pivot about an axis between inert positions that reflect the light. The rotation of each micromirror can be controlled independently of each other by the control module 101. In the illustrated embodiment, which does not limit the invention, the matrix 301 of active elements is square and is formed on each side by 500 to 1500 micromirrors or active elements 302, each micromirror has a size of 7 to 10 micrometers.

According to the invention, the light source 102 is provided in such a way that the emitting elements 134 constituting the lighting module can be selectively activated, and one or more emitting elements 134 of the light source, i.e. a load or a series of electrically interconnected The connected rods are arranged within the illumination module 10 so that they project a plurality of micromirrors 301 (here four of them). More precisely, the light source 102 is configured such that each emitting element 134 projects a light beam such that only some of the light beams illuminate the micromirrors and/or all of the light beams illuminate only a portion of the four micromirrors. , is located relative to the matrix 301 of the active elements 302.

The control of the emitting element and the activating element in this second embodiment is the same as that described for the first embodiment with particular reference to FIGS. 7a to 7d, so that the above-described teachings instead of controlling the activation or deactivation of the liquid crystals are controlled from the first position. It can be applied to control the rotation of the micromirror to different positions.

According to the foregoing description, thanks to the invention, the formation of pixels in a pixelated image in a second embodiment no longer requires activation of a specific corresponding micromirror. In fact, by activating a micromirror, one or more pixels can be formed by activating one or more emitting elements 134 that illuminate the micromirror 302 . Therefore, compared to the prior art devices described above, for the same image resolution, the present invention advantageously allows the use of fewer micromirrors and, as described above, reduces the cost of devices and/or failure of the active elements. It is possible to obtain a device with reduced risk.

The lighting module may include second optics 107 for shaping positioned between the light source 102 and the light processing device 300 . The purpose of the second optics 107 is to project a light beam so that the light source 102 illuminates the matrix of all active elements in case the dimensions of the light source are smaller than the dimensions of the matrix 301 of the active elements 302. The purpose is to expand the surface area and, where appropriate, to deflect the beam emitted by the light source. In other words, the second optical device 107 is configured to affect homothetic enlargement when the aspect ratios of the source and the active element are the same, and to affect anamorphosis when the aspect ratios are not the same. It is composed.

Claims (13)

A lighting module (10) for an automobile configured to project a light beam forming a pixelated image, comprising a light source (102) and a processing device (200, 300) for processing the light emitted by the light source (102). , the processing device (200, 300) is configured to process at least a portion of the light beam emitted by the light source (102) in a manner to form the pixelated image. ), in the automotive lighting module 10, including:
The light source 102 includes a matrix of emitting elements 134 in which two or more emitting elements can be selectively activated, the matrix 140 of the emitting elements 134 and the activating elements 202, 302 Characterized in that the matrices (201, 301) are offset relative to each other such that each active element (202, 302) is disposed over a part of the light beam emitted by said emitting element (134).
Automotive lighting module. According to claim 1,
Each emitting element 134 is configured to light up two or more adjacent active elements 202, 302.
Automotive lighting module. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The surface area of the matrix 140 of the emitting element 134 is greater than the surface area of the matrix 201, 301 of the active elements 202, 302.
Automotive lighting module. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The surface area of one or more emitting elements (134) is equivalent to the surface area of one or more active elements (202, 302).
Automotive lighting module. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The surface area of the light beam emitted by the emitting element 134 projected onto the processing device 200, 300 is equivalent to the surface area of one or more active elements 202, 302.
Automotive lighting module. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The illumination module 10 includes first projection optics disposed facing the matrix 301 of the active elements 302 in such a way as to project a pixelated image to the outside of the processing device 200, 300. Containing (106)
Automotive lighting module. The method of claim 1 or 2,
One or more active elements 302 reflect a portion of the light beam emitted by the emitting element 134.
Automotive lighting module. The method of claim 1 or 2,
One or more active elements 302 are configured to deflect a portion of the light beam emitted by the emitting element 134.
Automotive lighting module. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The lighting module 10 projects at least a portion of the light emitted by the light source 102 onto the matrix 301 of the active element 302, thereby controlling the light source 102 and the processing device 300. ) comprising a second projection optic 107 disposed between
Automotive lighting module. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The lighting module 10 is configured to simultaneously control turning on and/or turning off the emitting element 134 and activating and/or deactivating the active elements 202, 302 of the processing devices 200, 300. comprising a control module 101 that is
Automotive lighting module. The method of claim 1 or 2,
Each emitting element 134 includes a plurality of submillimeter electroluminescent rods 108 for emitting a light beam.
Automotive lighting module. According to claim 11,
The electroluminescent rod 108 protrudes from the substrate 110.
Automotive lighting module. Comprising the lighting module 10 according to claim 1 or 2
Automotive lighting devices.